Foot orthosis such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,013 are comprised of an L-shaped splint having a leg portion, an enlarged heel portion, and a foot portion. The device has an anklet or boot which surrounds the patient's foot and/or leg and secures the foot and leg to the L-shaped splint device. These orthosis have been very useful in preventing bedsores on the heels of patients and in treating foot drop and other such maladies often suffered by bedfast patients.
The foregoing orthosis can be worn by not only bedfast patients but ambulatory patients or patients that can be moved in wheelchairs when they are out of bed. However, infection control regulations for hospitals and nursing homes often require that items that come in contact with the floor should not be returned to the patient's bed.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a non-skid sole plate which can be easily attached to a foot orthosis to allow a patient to do a stand up transfer from a bed to a chair or wheelchair and which will also accommodate a patient who is capable of walking with the orthosis in place.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a sole plate for an orthosis which can be easily detached and attached to the orthosis so that it can be removed when the patient returns to bed, but then easily reattached when the patient leaves the bed.
A further object of this invention is to provide a sole plate for a foot orthosis that is curved at its lower forward and rearward ends to facilitate the patient's ambulation.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.